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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Action Alert: Stop Seismic Testing Off New Jersey!

Despite the
efforts of New Jersey elected officials, concerned citizens, and organizations
like yours to close the door on seismic testing off our shores, we are now
facing yet another seismic threat – this time right at our doorstep and
happening already this summer.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory (L-DEO), in collaboration with the National Science
Foundation (NSF), have proposed a study of seafloor sediments 15 miles off the
Barnegat Bay to better understand historical changes in sea level
from 60 million years ago through the present. The researchers propose to use powerful seismic airgun
arrays to shoot blasts of compressed air deep into the seabed, similar to the
process used to locate buried oil and gas deposits. Furthermore, the airgun blasting would endure
for 720 hours over a 30-day period. The
L-DEO researchers have requested authorization from the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) to “take” (i.e., harass) individuals from 26 marine
mammal species during its study, which was conditionally granted on Monday,
March 17 in a federal register notice of the proposed incidental harassment
authorization. The proposed
authorization is an evaluation of information provided by L-DEO regarding its
potential impacts on marine mammals and NMFS’s ultimate approval, despite
evidence linking seismic activities to harm.

Proposed location off Barnegat Bay

The proposed
authorization acknowledges the scarcity of data at several points throughout
its discussion of potential impacts of seismic activity on marine mammals and
other animals, yet it consistently writes off the impacts as negligible. For example, the proposal states: “The sound
criteria used to estimate how many marine mammals might be disturbed to some
biologically-important degree by a seismic program are based primarily on behavioral observations of a few species…for many
species there are no data on responses to marine seismic surveys.” Given that 26 marine mammal species could
potentially be impacted by this survey, 6
of which are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, it is concerning to see NMFS gloss over impacts in the absence of hard data instead of
taking a more precautionary approach.

Furthermore, the
proposed authorization references information that is irrelevant or even
incorrect, and several instances of “cut and paste” from previously issued
authorizations are evident. For example,
at one point, the notice states, “Additionally, no beaked whale species occur
in the proposed seismic survey area,” even though earlier in the notice, six species of beaked whale are listed as
potentially occurring in the proposed study area. How can we rely on NMFS’s evaluation of
impacts to marine mammals from this proposed seismic survey, when entire groups
of marine mammals are erroneously omitted from their analysis?

Clean Ocean Action
has already begun to develop its response to this proposal to blast
the ocean with seismic airguns in the name of scientific research. We first sent a letter to NMFS with over 30 signatories to
request a 60-day extension to the 30-day comment period and a public hearing. NMFS responded to COA on April 9th with the news that the comment period has been extended by 30 days, with a new deadline of May 16th; however, COA is still pushing for the full 60-day extension and a public hearing. We are currently drafting detailed comments on the proposed authorization for submission to NMFS.

Seismic airguns,
whatever the reason for their use, can have devastating impacts to cherished
marine mammal species and vital coastal industries, including commercial and
recreational fisheries and tourism. Join Clean Ocean Action in defending our precious coastal resources from
the far-reaching impacts of seismic testing.

Call
on your local elected officials to pass a resolution opposing seismic testing –
no matter the location or objective.Click here for our fact sheet on this issue.

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About Us

Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the coast of New Jersey/New York coast and protecting the ocean from new sources of pollution.
www.CleanOceanAction.org